Edinburgh gives green light to Newhaven tram extension

14 Mar Construction of a new tram extension to Newhaven can now go ahead following Edinburgh Council’s approval of the full business case.

A lengthy debate held at today’s meeting of the full council before councillors voted to proceed with a £207.3m project to build the Line 1a tram line, which link Newhaven to the city centre and the airport. The 2.9-mile stretch will include eight new stops.

The project will begin at the end of March with a six-month early contractor involvement period. The contractors - Sacyr, Farrans, Neopul Joint Venture for the infrastructure & systems contract and Morrison Utility Services for the swept path contract - will work closely with the council and other key stakeholders to finalise plans for construction. The contractors were named in early March as preferred bidders(link opens in new tab).

Construction work is set to get under way after the ECI has concluded and Edinburgh Trams are expected to take their first passengers to and from Newhaven in early 2023.

Nearly 16 million people are forecast to use the completed Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven tramline in its first year of operation - almost double the number predicted for the existing airport to York Place route in the same period.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, transport and environment convener, said: "This is a crucial decision for Edinburgh - for today's residents and for generations to come. Taking trams to Newhaven will allow brownfield development sites to be transformed, opening up the whole of north Edinburgh to a wealth of opportunities in terms of jobs, housing and local facilities. And vitally, this will be achieved without putting pressure on existing council budgets.”